1. Technical Field
The present technology relates to the field of medical treatments, and more particularly to devices and methods of treatment of the condition that require application of ultra-sonic or vibratory stimulation to nerves or other body tissue, including tinnitus, Bell's Palsy, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tinnitus is a medical condition in which the afflicted person hears a persistent ringing in one or both ears. The condition may be caused by a number of factors including but not limited to damage to the inner ear, prolonged exposure to noise, the use of certain prescription medications that have ototoxic side effects, ear infections, and nerve-related conditions. The effects of persistent tinnitus may include irritability, fatigue and depression. Tinnitus treatments vary but it has been suggested that in some cases the condition may be ameliorated by application of a noise signal that masks the tinnitus sound effect. Of course, this is not a “treatment” in the sense of ameliorating or curing the condition but merely application of another sound to “cover up” or mask the tinnitus “sound.”
Sound may be regarded as a travelling wave in a medium (e.g. air) that exerts pressure on an object in its path (e.g. ear drum of a listener). Travelling waves may be set up by a variety of actions (e.g. clapping hands), mechanical equipment, natural forces (e.g. wind, rain, and thunder) and instruments (e.g. piano). Among the electro-mechanical devices that may be used to generate sound waves in a range of frequencies are transducers. These devices utilize piezoelectric elements that convert an electrical impulse to an applied pressure. Langevin transducers are well-known in the art. These transducers are often used in high frequency sonar and ultra-sonic applications. Langevin transducers most typically include three axially-aligned components: a fore section, an aft section and an axial bolt of high tensile steel that mechanically fastens and pulls the two sections together. Disk-shaped annular piezoelectric elements are located between the fore and aft sections, so that tightening the bolt, which extends though the central hole of the disks, pulls the fore and aft sections together thereby exerting compressive force on the piezoelectric elements sandwiched between the two sections causing them to activate. Other transducer designs may lack a bolt and their sections may be threaded together.